Used dental implant healing abutments elicit immune responses: A comparative analysis of detoxification strategies.

PURPOSE

To determine if healing abutments (HA) can be "decontaminated" using four strategies available in clinical settings and compare the detoxification efficacy by quantifying residual biomaterial and capacity to elicit an inflammatory response in-vitro.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Forty HA collected from subjects following intraoral use were randomly distributed into four test groups (A-D): A: autoclave only, B: ultrasonic bath plus autoclave, C: prophy-jet plus autoclave, and D: Scrub sponge plus autoclave. New, sterile HA: group E (Control). Residual protein concentration was determined by Micro BCA assay and stained with Phloxine B for macroscopic examination. HA were placed in human CD14+ monocyte derived-macrophage (mo-Mφ) cultures and supernatant collected at 4, 24, 48, and 5 days to analyze cytokine profiles using multiplex bead assay.

RESULTS

Test groups showed visible differences in "decontamination" levels compared to control. Groups C and D showed most effective debris removal and lowest residual protein concentration. Multiplex assay showed marked induction of pro-inflammatory cytokines by groups A and B and to a significantly lower level by groups C and D.

CONCLUSION

HA were not entirely "decontaminated" using common methods available relative to new, sterile HA and were capable of stimulating an immune response.